Chapter 106: Inner Turmoil
Christian looked around all over the place while looking for his baby brother. The activities were thankfully not disrupted, not exactly needing Caleb’s active involvement, but still, he was supposed to supervise them. He even tried to link Caleb but he didn’t respond. He wondered if something happened to his brother or not, and the first suspect that came to his mind was that odd pureblooded alpha guest of this banquet. He looked around frantically to see if he could find him and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw him talk to Sebastian.
“Hey, you are Ashton’s sisters right”? He asked the twins when he spotted them. He faintly remembered that Caleb was fond of these twins so he hoped they would know something.
While Ariel was a bit intimidated, Ava perfectly maintained her composure and replied to him, “Yes”.
“Have you seen Caleb around”? Christian asked. He looked back and forth between the both of them, partially waiting for either of them to answer and partially trying to identify the twins. He knew they were named Ava and Ariel, but he kept confusing between who is who.
After taking a moment to think, Ava replied. “I think he took some food for Ashton. That’s the last time I saw him”. She informed him with confidence.
“How long ago was that”?
“Around two hours, I think” Ava shrugged.
.....
“Thanks” He dismissed them and left. So Caleb was with Ashton. Given how they are mates it makes sense Caleb was with him instead of at the banquet but at least he could have responded to his link and answered.
When the sun was almost setting he noticed Caleb entering, with a different set of clothes. He was about to go to him, but was stopped by Mr Bates who was very eager to catch up with him. After finally being able to get out of that situation, Christian approached his little brother when suddenly the words, “Yeah, I slept with him,” hit his ears. Those words seemed to be coming from Caleb’s mouth, but somehow he found it hard to believe it.
“You did what”? He ended up mumbling, earning a sudden jerk and shocked face from his Caleb. Caleb was almost a twenty year old, that is a good enough age for mating. Heck, most wolves are mated by the time they are eighteen. But this was not just any wolf, that was his baby brother. And finding out that he went with the mating process is a kind of lot to process.
“I... I mean...” Caleb stuttered. Christian didn’t need to hear his words to confirm what he blabbed earlier. He could tell it from the scent coming off from him.
“Nevermind” Christian shook his head. He forced a smile on his face, wanting to make sure that Caleb felt that it was okay with him. “How are you”? He asked in a whisper.
“Do we really have to talk about it? Caleb cringed. Matt was his friend so he didn’t mind much. But Christian was his brother, no matter how close they were, he doesn’t want to indulge in such conversation with his brother.
“Yes, we do young man”. Christian declared. “I am not asking for the specifics, I just want to make sure you are okay”.
Trying his level best not to cringe Caleb mumbled an uncomfortable, “Yeah. I get you are worried about me and I appreciate that, but I am fine”. He sighed. “Look, I really don’t want to talk about it. Please don’t make me more uncomfortable than I already am. Can I go”? He pleaded. Christian nodded at him, letting him go.
Christian maintained his gaze at Caleb for a while, observing his reactions. He could tell that his brother was feeling much more lively than usual which brought a tiny smile on his face. Maybe having a mate is not so bad after all. After Caleb’s mate was announced to the public, Christian received many inquiries about his own mate. What kind of mate did he want? When did he plan on choosing one? Personal stuff like that.
While Christian carefully avoided those questions, deep down the words did bother him. He was in his early twenties, thus given his long life ahead of him, and with his werewolf status, his life was bound to be quite a healthy one, he knew there was plenty of time left in life to find a mate. But the thing is when everyone around you moves forward in life, and you are still the same, you can’t help but feel stuck. He wasn’t that worried about not finding a mate, rather than feeling like his life was stagnant.
Now that his brother was here, he felt much more relaxed. He decided to go to the bar, but he did not dare get drunk. He barely remembered anything from the last time, and he did not want to be a mess in front of all these people. He was deep in his thoughts when suddenly, like a flashback a voice, some words appeared in his head.
Finding a mate is a life and death situation. With or without your social status you have to be careful when you choose your mate. They are supposed to be your life partner.
He had no idea who said that, neither did he recognize the voice. But somehow those words felt comforting.
At night, they arranged a DJ session for younger wolves, while most of the older ones decided to call it a night. It wasn’t mandatory for anyone to attend, so the ones who were a bit tired took their break. Christian feeling exhausted, was about to call it a day when his brother found him, “Can you stay here and watch over this place”?
“Why”? Christian frowned. “This is clearly your job, and I am exhausted” He huffed.
“Please” He pouted. “I have to go and see Ashton”.
“Seriously? You spent the entire afternoon with your mate, control yourself brother”! Christian barked at him.
“What”? Caleb’s eyes widened. “That is not what I meant! Geez” Caleb cringed. “Look, with all that has been going on lately, I completely forgot today’s date. Turns out today is supposed to be his birthday!”.
“It’s already after midnight, why bother”? Christian rolled his eyes at him.
“No, I mean, today. Monday, after midnight. I want to be the first one to wish him”. Caleb smiled.
His brother glared at him before barking, “Are you kidding me”!? Caleb retracted himself seeing his brother like that. “You already bailed a lot of events on me, and now you want to bail again? His birthday is tomorrow, spend it with him. Make a day out of it if needed. But for now... Go do your damn job”! Christian scolded him.
He stormed off the hall and was on his way to the room when he noticed Ashton sitting right in front of his door. ‘How convenient’ Christian thought, thinking maybe give him another brother talk or something. If only his scent didn’t bother him he could be much more intimidating.
He was about to call him when he wondered why he was here instead of Caleb’s room. Shouldn’t that make more sense? “Ashton”? He called him carefully.
Suddenly the entire hallway was filled with a monstrous growl. Ashton’s face seemed half human, half wolf making him look even more horrifying than ever. He wondered what was going on so he approached carefully. The furs on his face kept vanishing and reappearing as if some kind of internal fight was going on.
“Are you... okay”? Christian mumbled, trying not to spook him.
Regaining his human face for long enough, Ashton spoke. “Can you please take me to... take me to the containment cells? I should not... be here like this”. Ashton struggled to breathe in between his words. That is when it hit Christian, Ashton was going into rut. Having a stronger wolf side, the changes on his face made much more sense.
“Should I call Caleb”? Unsure, Christian asked.
“NO!” Ashton snapped at him. Christian failed to understand his response as one of the primary instincts of a wolf in rut, or in heat was to be near their mate. The presence of their mate soothes them. Then why was Ashton so adamant to suffer?
“Alright, come with me” Christian gestured to him to follow, leading him towards the back door to their building. The main entrance was busy with ongoing and incoming wolves so it seemed safer. From time to time the growl that escaped Ashton’s mouth scared Christian to his bones. He didn’t know what to expect or why he was doing what he was doing.
All he knew was the only person who knew Ashton’s rut the best was himself, and maybe listening to him was the best option right now. He hoped he wouldn’t get mauled en route. After exiting the building there was a small grill like opening on the ground that seemed to be covered pretty efficiently. Christian opened it and gestured to Ashton to get in.
The moment he was about to enter, both of them heard a familiar voice, “Ashton”? Christian’s face was a mix of confusion and horror while the man-wolf form of Ashton seemed pretty enthusiastic.
This content is taken from freewebnove(l).com